Brazil or Mexico

lynn44

posted thread no one replied
looking for 2 wks prefer ( brazil) AI must be jan 23/24th 07 for 2 adults 1 child (age 3) best price so far with my thomsons discount £1500 for all..... anywhere hot for special birthday pressie....any London airport day or night cheapest poss please

havfrue

Just seeing this now

Have you found a good price and decided where you will go? I am Brazilian, and personally think it is the BEST choice

lynn44

Im still looking,
cant decide between brazil, Florida ,Mexico people are put off when I mention Brazil they say its very unsafe although a lovely country and lots to see

bhxukman

lynn44 wrote:

Im still looking,
cant decide between brazil, Florida ,Mexico people are put off when I mention Brazil they say its very unsafe although a lovely country and lots to see

I booked a client recently to club breezes in sauip and her email to me back was

Her reply

absolutely amazing. YOu have to go there. You are waited on hand and foot. The resort was spotless and including horse riding in stables about 5 mins drive from the resort and a aquatics center. Did'nt have time to go there. There was also a turtle santuary 30 mins away but didn't have time to go there either. Went to Salvador city on a day trip about 1hr30mins from the hotel. V poor parts and extremely rich parts. Fab place. Loads to do there

havfrue

lynn44 wrote:

Im still looking,
cant decide between brazil, Florida ,Mexico people are put off when I mention Brazil they say its very unsafe although a lovely country and lots to see

Saying that Brazil is very unsafe is a generalization. It would be the same as saying "People in the US love their cowboy hats" It really depends on where you go

AVOID Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo and you should be just fine! I would NEVER EVER bring my kids to Rio, so I was very happy when my parents moved to Porto Seguro on the northeast: stunning area, wonderful people, great prices and fantastic touristic attractions. Specially for us who live in Europe, the possibilities of tourism on the Northeast of Brazil are endless!

I am surprised that people were not put off when you mentioned Mexico though. Many of my American friends visited Mexico, and I don't think I would ever want to go there based on the horror stories I have heard... Then again, I may be generalizing myself!

EDITED TO ADD: If flight connections in Rio or Sao Paulo are needed, don't worry. The airports are VERY safe!

Becles

havfrue wrote:

I am surprised that people were not put off when you mentioned Mexico though. Many of my American friends visited Mexico, and I don't think I would ever want to go there based on the horror stories I have heard... Then again, I may be generalizing myself!

It depends where they went in Mexico and how the American friends acted while they were there.

Mexicans hate Cancun. They call it the American playground, as it's basically a resort built for Americans with American chain restaurants and bars, glitzy shopping malls, and everything they expect from back home.

As a generalisation as not all Americans are like this, but many refuse to pay in Mexican pesos, so shops show prices in USD$ and pesos. Generally they offer a poorer exchange rate on USD$ so things cost a little more. Americans tend not to speak Spanish and expect everyone to speak English. They are reluctant to try local foods and expect to see the same dishes and drinks as they get back home on the menu. Service has to be prompt, but Mexicans are generally slow and laid back which the Americans think is sloppy. This causes conflicts - such as Americans expect the bill to be delivered as soon as you have finished eating, whereas Mexicans think it is rude to bring the bill until the customer has asked for it. This is just what local Mexicans told us in the resort, and it's things that get the Mexicans backs up.

If you venture further south from Cancun, you get into proper traditional Mexico. We stayed near Playa del Carmen and it was a beautiful resort. However we noted Americans whinging about stupid things in the resort. One man was doing his nut as the hotel didn't serve Budweiser, but it did have Mexican beers. The resort had one tiny gift shop, and nothing else, and one woman was moaning as she wanted to shop. Why book a holiday in a remote Mexican jungle setting if you want to shop?! Fair enough if you have a real complaint, but things like the examples I've given were unreasonable in my opinion.

Mexico is a beautiful country and the people are lovely if you attempt to speak Spanish and take an interest in their lifestyle and culture. Making friends with them did pay off, as we always got much better service at the bar etc., than people who did not attempt to speak Spanish or be friendly with the staff.

I'm not making assumptions about your friends, but it would be interesting to find out where they went, and how they acted on holiday, to see if that has any bearing on their experiences in Mexico.

Going back to the country in question, I loved Mexico and had the time of my life there, and I'm desperate to go back again some day. However, I won't be going to Cancun

betterbargains4u

bhxukman wrote:

I booked a client recently to club breezes in sauip and her email to me back was

Her reply

absolutely amazing. YOu have to go there. You are waited on hand and foot. The resort was spotless and including horse riding in stables about 5 mins drive from the resort and a aquatics center. Did'nt have time to go there. There was also a turtle santuary 30 mins away but didn't have time to go there either. Went to Salvador city on a day trip about 1hr30mins from the hotel. V poor parts and extremely rich parts. Fab place. Loads to do there

Sounds fab.
How expensive is it?
Any links please?

josey1964

Try tripadvisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g303267-d321343-Reviews-Superclubs_Breezes_Costa_do_Sauipe-Mata_de_Sao_Joao_State_of_Bahia.html

havfrue

Becles wrote:

Americans tend not to speak Spanish and expect everyone to speak English. They are reluctant to try local foods and expect to see the same dishes and drinks as they get back home on the menu. Service has to be prompt, but Mexicans are generally slow and laid back which the Americans think is sloppy. This causes conflicts - such as Americans expect the bill to be delivered as soon as you have finished eating, whereas Mexicans think it is rude to bring the bill until the customer has asked for it. This is just what local Mexicans told us in the resort, and it's things that get the Mexicans backs up.

(...)

Going back to the country in question, I loved Mexico and had the time of my life there, and I'm desperate to go back again some day. However, I won't be going to Cancun

See! I was generalizing too - and listening too closely to what my American friends said without thinking more about it! Thank you for posting! I can see how what you said was most probably the case! :rolleyes:

And while I think about it... I have read that Brazilians do think people from other countries than the US are, generally speaking, more pleasant to have as guests.

havfrue

josey1964 wrote:

Try tripadvisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g303267-d321343-Reviews-Superclubs_Breezes_Costa_do_Sauipe-Mata_de_Sao_Joao_State_of_Bahia.html

Hey, that's in Bahia, the state my parents moved to!
Now I am even more eager to go pay them a visit

jolenejolene

We have been to Mexico - Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta 3 times. Love it. Can't wait until kids are bigger so we can go back!